Jil Sander's +J Line Wins British Design Award
Photos courtesy of Uniqlo
Jil Sander's +J Line Has Won the British Design Award
Raf Simons may be the at the helm of the brand she gave her name to, but no matter: The real Jil Sander still has a very important place in the industry—and she’s got the prize to prove it.
Sander has swapped her high-end career for the high street; you may have heard of a little collaboration she’s been doing with mega-chain Uniqlo called +J. Sander received recognition for that partnership courtesy of the 2011 Design Museum’s Brit Insurance Design Award.
"I was very touched to hear that I was going to receive the Brit Insurance Design Award," Sander told Vogue UK. "It means a lot, not just to me but to my whole +J staff at UNIQLO. To be asked to compete with so many highly impressive design works was a great honor for us."
The award has gone to the likes of Christopher Kane and Balmain’s Christophe Dercarnin in the past, and this year, Sander was up against heavy-hitters Alber Elbaz of Lanvin and Gareth Pugh.
"We feel all the more encouraged to be deemed relevant as a project which wishes to make the world a better place," she says. "It was our vision from the beginning to become part of the fresh energy that is sweeping the planet, doing away with outgrown hierarchies. This award will help us to continue contributing to the everyday life of many people as a reliable source for modern fashion of high quality and at a democratic price."
Sander’s Spring 2011 collection (her fourth collection for Uniqlo) hit stores worldwide in January, though the final delivery for the collection just shipped to stores. The collection includes apparel, outerwear, knitwear, and accessories, and ranges from $39.90 to $229.90.
